DONGZHI
Pacing. Shuffle shuffle. Pace pace. Okay, really, he honestly just needed to settle on something. Eventually, he just groaned.
Suyis, naturally, laughed at him. "Wow, your royal fieriness, how utterly eloquent."
"Don't make me kick you," Zuko warned.
"Oo, yeah, you're right, might hurt a little." Unsurprisingly, Suyis didn't sound particularly threatened. Well, Zuko was a small shit, and Suyis had taken hits from worse than him over the years. Finally, the ex-soldier set both the necklaces down, one a very sparkly clear stone teardrop hanging from two strands of the same stone layered into a downward curve, meeting only to hold the teardrop in place, and the other a ruby, crowned with a star-shaped string of white.
None of them, of course, could she even see, so it probably didn't matter the colors. Zuko was just fretting like he always did when it came to his lady. "Well, how about something simpler?" Suyis suggested, pulling a very simple gold chain from his pocket. Dangling from the chain was a golden open heart-shaped pendant, with a relatively humble ruby teardrop hanging from the heart's inner point. Zuko blinked at it.
"That... is absolutely gorgeous," he breathed.
Suyis smiled. "Sure is. Found it on my last trip to Shu Jing."
"You sure you'd be willing to part with it?"
"Eh, why not," Suyis shrugged. "I can probably find something similar, if not a little more sparkly, if I really want." He held it out for Zuko to take, which he did, very carefully, as if it would break if he held it too tightly. Hell, it might, actually. "I was going to give it to your sister, but, I think it's a little too..." he trailed off, searching for the right term.
"Modest," Zuko filled in with a slight snort. "Azula likes shiny things. ... and diamond."
"I figured as much."
A comfortable silence settled between them. Since Lidong, Zuko had been able to spend at least every other day more or less entirely in Toph's presence. Suyis had been hanging around, partly out of interest in spending his days in Azula's presence, and partly because Ozai had asked him to help with security, to ensure Mai never got her hands on Toph again. Thus far, he'd decided to scatter guards all over the general area of the palace Toph was in, posting one right outside her window, and two at her door. One of them was bound to notice if Mai attempted to slip in.
Toph probably wasn't alone for anything but sleeping these days. There was always someone relatively close to her. But, she understood why, and didn't really mind it all that much. She was, probably, in her own way, quite scared that Mai would get her if they let her alone too long.
She spent her off days outside in the courtyard, usually with either Suyis, Azula, or Ty Lee nearby, and for the first time in a very long time, practiced Earthbending. In just the last few months alone, she'd become a startlingly skilled Earthbender. It was almost a shame Mai's habit of keeping her insanely busy and working her so much cut into her time to practice, and thus her skill had nearly gone to waste.
"I'm nervous," Zuko confessed.
Suyis laughed at him. "Yeah, we all are."
"What if she doesn't actually like it? I mean, would she tell me that or just accept it and smile?"
"Sometimes, my dear royal headache, it's not really the gift itself that matters."
"... now you've confused me."
Suyis snorted. "Women are sentimental. It's not the necklace she'll be thankful for, but, rather that you thought to get her a gift for Dongzhi in the first place."
Zuko nodded, slightly, apparently still processing that. "... but I want her to like the necklace itself, too."
"She's blind, honestly. The nuances of it will be completely lost on her anyway, so may as well be happy about it. The most she'll notice is that it's in a rather lovely heart shape. And if I do say so myself, that's a very lovely heart shape."
Zuko still didn't seem all that convinced. Suyis patted his back.
"Come on, it's not so bad. You just have to remember that, with jewelry and this particular lady, it doesn't matter what color it is, just whether it's comfortable to wear, isn't too heavy, doesn't jab her anywhere or make her itchy -"
"Jewelry can do that?"
"Well, yes," Suyis nodded. "Depending on the materials used in the jewelry's creation, some elements can cause ah, rather undesired results. Like, itching, some rings will turn a person's finger green."
"Wow."
"Yeah, it's a bit tricky. And merchants that want your money really aren't all that forthcoming about what exactly it is. 80% of them will lie, the other 20% really don't fuckin' know."
Zuko deflated a bit. "Then, how do you tell?"
"We'll get to the rings part later. This is made of solid gold, so, it shouldn't react to her skin chemistry too terribly. With any luck, it'll be fine. If it does, well... let me know and I'll take it to a friend that can plate it to keep the metal from reacting."
"Jewelry is complicated."
Suyis shrugged. "Not really. It's a lot simpler when your girlfriend is blind." Aha. "She won't know if the metal turns her skin green. So we can fix it without her ever knowing it did it to start with."
Heh. "Thanks."
"Yep."
After some hesitation, Zuko asked, "So... you really like my sister?"
Suyis smiled. Yeah, had a feeling that was coming. "Hmm, what can I say that won't be very gross to you. I do, yes. I love her scent, and her voice, it's soothing to me."
"When I was a kid, I thought her voice was nerve gratingly annoying."
Ha! "Well she's your sister, I'm fairly sure that's normal." Yeah, probably. "I've hurt enough people in my lifetime, your miniature fieriness, and I'm only in my twenties. I'm done hurting people."
Hm. "I can respect that."
"Then I thank you for it." A subdued little bow. "But, you should probably get going. Else your lady will be very upset with you for being late to lunch."
"Ha, yeah. Thanks for the help."
"No problem." Hm. You know, Suyis could get used to this. ... weird...
She did this with her every morning. When Toph woke up, there'd soon be an Ursa, usually seated off to the side somewhere, helping the servants decide what to hand her to wear that day. They chatted about random things, nothing and everything, a general idea of where everyone would be throughout the rest of the day, as the servants brushed her hair out and gently put it in a little top-knot, similar to the one Azula usually wore her hair in. Some days, they brushed the loose bangs back and slid a comb in to keep them out of her face. Other days, they didn't bother. And then Ursa would take her on a walk around the gardens, and they'd talk about whatever, sometimes nothing at all.
Ursa was always very gentle and patient, both with her and the servants. They weren't ill-treated or demanded of. From her understanding, they were paid: they lived and worked in the palace and earned a weekly amount of gold they could spend any way they chose. Some had family outside the palace, some didn't. It was a relatively far cry from what Toph had been living: she wasn't a servant, they were right. At least, not if they were all treated the way the palace servants were.
When she'd first arrived, Toph had attempted to slide into the role of a palace servant. It'd been the Fire Lord that noticed first. And he rather immediately went down to the kitchens to yell at whoever had let her do that to start with. But, serving was really all Toph knew, and not having to do anything? It was foreign. It was awkward. She had no idea what to do with herself here.
As with every other day, Ursa had chosen something thick enough for the colder weather, but not heavy enough to be a real hindrance. If there was anything that annoyed her a good deal, it was clothing that got in her way. Ursa appeared to have picked up on that much relatively quickly. It was probably a good thing: though Toph had begun to settle into the new environment, a bit, she wasn't quite comfortable enough just yet to make requests. Hell, trying to have a conversation with her was still... rather awkward.
Then she led Toph down to the gardens. And Toph tried not to fidget too much.
"I have some news you might like," Ursa started, breaking the silence. She didn't seem too unnerved by said silence, but, well she seemed... unnerved by very few things anyway. "An Earthbender friend of mine in the Order of the White Lotus will be accompanying my brother-in-law, General Iroh, back to the Fire Nation capital when he returns for holiday. If you've yet anything to learn from him, he'll happily teach you."
"Really?" Ursa nodded, making a mhm sound. Toph frowned a bit, before asking, "Why are you being so nice? Is it just because of Zu - er Prin -"
"It's fine," Ursa interrupted. "He rather you call him by just his name anyway. And yes, in part, our kindness is a gesture of good will, I suppose, in hopes that maybe you'll settle in and be comfortable here. I think a part of my husband's kindess is a manifestation of his feeling personally responsible for the situation that landed you here. His lack of attention in matters of the more quiet issues that were left in the War's place eventually brought you away from your homeland. But, a good deal of it is, we want to get to know you. If Zuko has his way, you'll be our daughter-in-law someday. My son's very serious about you."
Toph flushed pink a good deal. Ursa sounded a bit bemused, adding, "Ah, I happen to like the young girl I see sometimes, in the courtyard. Lovely girl that seems to feel more alive when Earthbending. She's got a much stronger spirit than she lets on, hm?"
Mm. Very observant, the Fire Lady was. Strange to think they might be paying that much attention to her. But, Ursa had the right of it: someday, there was a chance she'd be related to them. "She does," Toph agreed. "Just, sometimes, she doesn't know what to do with it all."
Hm. "I can understand that."
They walked in relative quiet, for a few moments.
Oh come on, she's probably not going to bite. Nerve, where did yours go? "Um, Ty Lee mentioned um, the whole gift exchange thing that people usually do at Dongzhi."
"Ahh," Ursa smiled. "And you want to get something for Zuko, right?"
Toph nodded.
"Well, I think we can manage that. If you stay behind after lunch time, Azula and I can take you to the market, and we'll find something he'll like."
A quiet smile crossed Toph's face. "I'd like that. Um, but I don't have anything to pay for -"
"I'll take care of that," Ursa decided. "And no arguing, it's fine. You two being happy, that's payment enough."
Hm. "Well, can I at least give you a thank you?"
"I think a thank you is just fine."
"Then, thank you, very much."
They walked in silence after, but, rather than an awkward silence, it was comfortable, almost warm. Now, they understood each other better. They were just two women that both happened to want Zuko to be happy.
A loud feminine scream tore through the halls. The servants bustling around the hall stilled, some of them dropping whatever they were carrying. The scream was followed by giggling rather soon after, though, and a male voice cussing. The servants carried on, and the guards relaxed, some of them smiling a bit. It'd been a while since they'd heard that, and, oddly, the sounds were calming.
A sudden crash and a squeal, and Azula tore out of Zuko's room and shot down the hall, armed with only a pillow. Zuko followed, also armed with a pillow, and shot after her, catching her around the waist a few feet out, sending them both crashing to the floor. Azula squirmed around in his grasp, smacking him over the head with her pillow several times.
"Nope!" He gleefully declared. "I got you, I win!"
"NEVER!" Several more smacks, and she carefully scrambled out of his grasp. "You have to keep a hold of me to win!" And up she went, as he lunged for her again and missed, crashing into the floor solo, as she zipped down the hall again. A loud curse, and Zuko scrambled after her, nearly slamming into the wall along the way.
The both giggled the entire way, eventually passing their parents as they zipped out onto the veranda and then into the courtyard. For a moment, Ozai and Ursa just watched them zip around the courtyard, startling several birds out of the trees, and then laughed themselves. It was one of the many creative ways they thought up to keep one another in shape: oddly enough, Ozai and Ursa themselves had started it, mostly as a means of keeping Ozai from razing the palace to the ground in frustration after a particularly headache-inducing meeting. Yet it did have a neat side effect of keeping them in physical shape, and being a lot of fun.
"AAHH! ZUZU THAT'S CHEATING!"
"It is not!" Neither Ozai nor Ursa caught exactly what was supposedly cheating, but there it was.
"EEEEE!" And Azula near slid off a cliff. Barely, Zuko managed to pull her back up before she took a tumble. The both were so worn out, they settled on a neat little truce. ... for now.
"We should probably set rules," Ozai mentioned. "No running through the grounds."
"Pillow fights strictly in the palace," Ursa agreed. Because apparently, pillow fights across the grounds were dangerous. Hm. Only those two would turn pillow fights into a dangerous venture.
Most wouldn't guess it, as she was rather quiet and demure, but, Ursa had actually started the first pillow fight. Ozai had been venting in her direction about some odd peace treaty problem, and she'd listened, of course, for a time, offering advice here and there. Finally, she'd just stood up, marched right up to him, pulled his hair out of its topknot and messed it up before darting away. And he'd been so stunned, he had no idea what to make of it. He kept glancing between her and the candles, before finally asking, "You really are Ursa, right?"
And she'd picked up a pillow, holding it aloft as if a sword, and smugly replied, "Why don't you come and see? Arm yourself soldier!"
It'd become a tradition of sorts. Whenever he got too stressed out, Ursa would chase him around. Somehow, it worked. And, of course, eventually, the kids had caught onto it. The Fire Lord and Lady couldn't even seriously protest against it, because that'd be... well, only exceedingly hypocritical.
"Okay, now will you hold still for me?" Azula asked, returning to the palace with Zuko.
"I guess," he huffed. "Suppose you've earned it."
Azula gave him a playful shove. "Whatever, twit. Hey, did you get the girl anything?"
"Yeah, actually, Suyis didn't tell you?"
"He hinted at it, but didn't outright tell me." A pause, and a sly little smirk crossed her face. "First name basis, huh?"
"Oh shut up."
"You were asking for it," Azula sing-songed in response. Zuko just rolled his eyes. His sister was so childish sometimes. But then, so was he, so he wasn't really one to talk. Or, rather, think. Either one.
"I guess I can let it go," Zuko grudgingly said. "So, what am I wearing?"
"Well, I don't know, you wouldn't hold still!"
A quiet laugh. "Fair enough."
"I hear Ty Lee is stuffing her in something furry. So maybe we'll make a Fire Nation bunny out of you, too." Yeah, sounded good to Azula.
Zuko snorted. "Cheater."
"Hey, work smarter, not harder. Besides, I want to see Mai's face with you two traipsing about the ballroom in matching outfits all googly eyes at each other." A pause. "... okay, so, Toph doesn't googly eyes... you, on the other hand, seem to go to a totally separate universe when you're in her presence." If he hadn't already declared his love for her, it would have been pathetically obvious. ... it was still pathetically obvious. Adorable, but still.
"I'm... apparently rather transparent."
"Yes, I'm coming to realize this." Ah, well, so it went? Oh, parents. "Hey!"
"No more pillow fighting across the grounds," Ozai immediately declared. Both Zuko and Azula responded with a disappointed 'awwww.' "I mean it," he iterated. "Apparently you two can't run around the palace grounds without nearly turning it into funeral fodder."
"Hey, he caught me," Azula pouted.
"Just barely," Ozai grunted.
"But it is good to see you two in such high spirits," Ursa added.
"Ah, at least it's not annoying," Azula snickered. That was a good thing, yes. Right, getting the Zuzu back upstairs so they could figure out what he was wearing, exactly. "Funny how we can zip across the grounds in such a very short period of time. And here I thought the palace grounds were pretty big."
"They are," Zuko said. "We... are just very quick when excited?"
"Apparently so." Yeah, apparently. Well, up the stairs. "Come along Zuzujuju, up the stairs with you. Hee ho, figuring out what the prince is wearing. I still think red and fur. Fluffy! Sparky and fluffy!"
"Oh jeez," Zuko rolled his eyes, "now I'm fluffy too."
"You've always been fluffy," Azula stated. "Fluffy and cute. ... and kind of whiny."
"Hey now." Well, to be fair... he kind of was...
At least they hadn't decided to chase one another all the way into the ballroom. They chased each other down the hallway, sure, Azula ahead of Zuko of course, because he seemed to give her a little extra leeway, but they stopped before they got to the actual room. The floors were sprinkled with sparkling glitter that was probably meant to mimic the snow that many other places in the world were presently getting. Frilly white curtains framed the windows, lightly frosted over - the worst the Fire Nation would get in the winter was a light dusting of frost, nothing ever much worse. Unless of course a volcano erupted on one of the islands: then they'd get ash.
In the center of the room was a bonfire, contained in a glass and metal cylinder that fed the smoke through several pipes that went outside. Occasionally, one of the guests would move over to the fire, throw a log in, and then go back to whatever had their attention before. The log was an important aspect of Dongzhi, and the fire in the ballroom was only ever present for Dongzhi.
Azula, not long after, flounced off to go find Suyis, leaving Zuko by the stairs, waiting for Toph. At least he knew she'd be coming now. There wasn't any looking around and hoping she was there, he knew she was. And if she wasn't, she would be. Ty Lee, of course, had dragged her off to her room earlier that day to fix her hair up and get her dressed. He caught sight of Mai, some ways away, probably looking for him, but fortunately presently occupied by a glass of hot cider. Good. He wouldn't get his hopes up too high, but, maybe she'd stay occupied with that for a bit.
And then a feminine giggle from the stairs caught his attention. Turning, yes. Hmm. His dad was apparently escorting a furry Toph down the stairs. She wore mostly red, trimmed in tan fur, but it looked good on her, actually. Hmm, vaguely, he remembered seeing Ty Lee wearing something similar, if not exactly that, once or twice.
"Ah, and here's your Prince," Ozai said, as they reached the landing and turned. He reached over to place her hand in Zuko's. "I should find my Lady."
"She's over there," Zuko offered, nodding at where Ursa was.
"Ah, thank you. You two don't have too much fun now." With that, Ozai weaved through the crowd toward Ursa, leaving the two alone.
"Well, ahh... you look like a Fire Nation bunny," Zuko said.
"Is this a good thing?" Toph asked.
"Not really a bad thing. I think it looks good on you."
Heh. "Thanks then." Because he'd kind of just roundabout awkwardly complimented her, yes. "You weren't too busy crowd watching were you?"
"Nah." His gaze flicked around, finding Mai in the crowd. Still busy, but definitely looking for him now. "Shall we escape again?"
"Yeah," Toph agreed. "I'm not really into staying where she can find us." Not really. Though she had no doubt it wouldn't be too much of a problem, she knew Mai too well to know how sneaky she could be when she wanted to be.
So, Zuko tugged her to the side, not out onto the balcony, but out around the side, where Mai would have trouble finding them. Zuko sat down, and Toph settled beside him.
"Seems kind of like cheating," Toph said. "Always slipping away before she notices where you are."
Zuko snorted. "Staying in her presence tends to be more trouble than it's worth."
Heh. Yeah, so it did. Toph could get behind that.
"Feeling any less awkward?" he asked.
Toph thought about it, for a moment, before shrugging. "Not really," she answered. "Your mother and I are getting along swimmingly though. I actually managed to ask her for something a few days ago."
Zuko blinked in surprise. "Well, go you." No, seriously. "Mom's not that bad though. Dad's got a bit of a temper, but mom's never really had one. And she's really, really polite. Kind of scarily polite."
Heh. "Yeah, I'm noticing. I find I kind of like it. Which, believe you me, is really, really weird." No, seriously, it was really freaking weird.
"Getting along with my parents is a good thing though. It does mean I probably won't have to beg them to bring you back after they send you off."
A snort. "You would?"
"Like a little whiny bitch."
Toph giggled at that. Hard to imagine him as a little whiny bitch. Then again, he did whine occasionally, from what she'd been observing. Sometimes, she just tucked herself off to the side, working on some embroidery project or something, and listened to him and his sister banter back and forth. They had the most amusing conversations sometimes. She let out a little sigh, and laid her head on his shoulder.
"How did this happen, Sparky?"
A quiet airy snort. "You know, I'm not entirely sure. Azula and I, we were actually convinced I'd be single for the rest of my sad life."
"If your life is sad," Toph snorted, "then I don't want to know what mine is."
"Hn. Yours was just circumstances out of your control. Mine... I've always been a bit temperamental and not really known to be well-versed in the ways of patience and positive thinking."
"And you're still not," Toph added.
"Heeeey. I mean it's true but hey. My ickle feelings are wounded."
"D'aww, poor Sparky."
Zuko smirked. "Kiss it and make it better."
"Nope," Toph snorted. "Man up."
"Pff. That's what mom says."
"She's right." There was a pause. "So you know, I love you too." She'd never gotten around to that, huh?
Zuko smiled, reaching over and taking her hand in his. He didn't say anything, just kissed her fingers, and held her hand to his chest. Like that, she could feel his heartbeat, and he leaned over a little, resting his head on hers. Yeah, probably, nothing really needed to be said at all.
From the corner of her eye, she watched her husband, watching Zuko and Toph scurry off out of the ballroom. They did that a lot now, just sitting and talking somewhere. It was probably a good idea, Ursa had to admit, that they stayed out of Mai's range. There really was no telling the lengths that girl might be willing to go to in order to remove the girl that stood in between her and their son. To be frank, Ursa did not want to find out.
As soon as Ozai's attention went back to her, she turned to face him fully, one hand playing with the stirring stick in her cider. "So," she started, "how do you really feel about this?" He'd at least made attempts to be nice to the girl, and had spoken to her on friendly terms several times by now. But he seemed... strangely uncomfortable in her presence. To be honest, it was a bit unnerving, as nothing really made Ozai uncomfortable.
He seemed to consider her question, before delicately replying, "I'm not entirely sure."
"Well, what do you think you feel, then?"
Ozai sighed. "I just... it never really occurred to me that there are seriously still slaves in my nation, Ursy. There are people still in proverbial chains. And I haven't the slightest idea what to do about it."
A sad smile crossed her face. She reached over, brushing his hair aside and patting. "You'll figure it out. You always do." He did, yes. "Come for a walk with me?"
He breathed in, and then out. "Okay." And he turned, and wandered toward the balcony. Ursa followed behind him, keeping step with him. And once out, she gently pulled the door closed. This, perhaps, was not really a conversation the rest of their guests needed to hear.
How to approach this... he'd meandered over to the railing, looking out over the grounds. She stood beside him, resting her wrists on the rail, studying him. "What'd you find so far?" Sort of a prompt, to see if he'd ramble at her. Sometimes, he did. Other times, it took a lot more than a gentle little prod.
"Very little," Ozai answered. "The blocks I'd already thought to put in place did very little to mitigate the problem. Not that this was unexpected. I have to wonder what I was thinking that I believed just that would be enough. Even if I outlawed owning a slave now, most would probably attempt to pass them off as servants. There's nothing against employing servants, and I can't attempt to outlaw that as the palace needs them to function."
"We treat ours very well, even," Ursa mentioned. "But I'm sure, not everyone is kind to their servants."
"No. I don't imagine they are." Ozai thought for a moment. "The Earth Kingdom has done absolutely nothing to improve the slavery issue. I'm not even sure they're entirely aware it's still a problem, and as they have the highest population in the world, this is an issue. Fei Xing suggested border control."
"Border control?" Ursa asked.
"Yes. Every port in the Fire Nation regulated. All immigrants needing to register as a citizen of the Fire Nation before being allowed entrance, or perhaps a visitation registry, to allow non-natives to visit the Fire Nation for a period of time. In this way, we could bottleneck the number of slaves being brought to the Fire Nation, it sounds tyrannical but it may just work."
Ursa considered it for a bit. "There are ways around the ports."
"Not very many. Much of the Fire Nation has very steep cliffs." That much was true. "If we enacted this, it would give us governmental rights to detain any non-native that is not registered, and act on their behalf should they be found to be in the Fire Nation of someone else's will, and return them to their homeland, or properly enter them into the Fire Nation. I have no interest in requiring difficult standards for citizenship be met, merely in preventing people from being dragged into my nation by someone else's will. With any luck, this sort of thing might well do the trick."
Hmm. "We won't really know that until we do it. You should still consider making the owning of slaves illegal. I, at least, would like to see slave owners subject to some sort of a consequence."
Mm. Ozai gently wrapped his arms around Ursa. "How do you do this, flower?"
"Do what?" she asked.
"Make my head work again. I've been bantering this about all day."
A soft giggle escaped her. "I'm not entirely sure. But you know, after a while, you tend to go in mental circles."
"I do," he grumbled. "It's such a pain in the ass."
Ah, setting her cider glass down on the railing, gently running her fingers through his hair. "I can see how it might be. This is why I distract you. Stir-craziness, hm? I keep telling you..."
"Ha. How about Ember Island soon?"
"When the weather turns warm again?"
"Of course."
"And we'll see the play?"
"I'd expect nothing else."
"And you'll not fall asleep?"
"Mm, I can't promise that one, flower. You know it bores me, but it makes you happy."
Ursa snorted, lightly batting his nose. "You wouldn't be so bored if you paid attention."
He tilted his head a bit. "I vaguely recall paying attention once."
"No, you always fall asleep."
"Alright, I'll try, long as I get cuddles after it."
"If you stay awake. Through the entire thing."
"Hmm, deal." Ahh... he'd sorely regret that one later. Oh yes... but the attempt would be a dashingly valiant one and he'd certainly try. There were never any promises when it came to that silly play she adored so much, but, he had of course vowed, even if only in his heart, to make his flower as happy as he could. And he did intend to stick to it.
"What, no threats of kicking this time?" His tone was joking, a bit, but she frowned a little and whacked him in the arm.
"Haha Sparky," Toph drawled. "I figured by now I don't need to threaten it. I can if it makes you feel better."
"Nah," Zuko chuckled. "I kind of like not getting threatened before a dance."
"Aw, we can't let you get used to that."
"I most certainly will not." Not with her around. And after he'd watched her a few times pounding the ever loving daylights out of the courtyard, definitely not forgetting that under the quiet, often eerily demure demeanor was a freaking juggernaught that wouldn't hesitate to do more than just kick him if he provoked her ire.
Not that he had. And he didn't intend to attempt the venture, either. No, he rather liked getting along with her. They'd had minor arguments, of course, any couple did, but they worked through it eventually. Even if they were flaming mad at each other, they did still care about one another. Zuko didn't think that would change.
Unless he did something utterly, horribly, completely stupid.
She settled into place with him, and matched his pace, as if they did this all the time. They decided, between the two of them, to reserve dancing for festivals. It was something special to celebrate the passing of the seasons with, something just for them. Mai had finally noticed, but, she apparently had decided not to provoke both Suyis and Azula, whom were dancing too, and watching her carefully. It was probably a good idea not to: Azula was dangerous enough. Teamed with a nearly equally dangerous military legend would probably result in nothing good for Mai.
Toph giggled. "Your sister..."
Zuko's gaze went to her for a moment. And he had to snicker, too, as she and Suyis were being quite silly over there, dancing circles around each other and poking at one another at the same time. Yeah, he could get used to that. His sister was happy when she was with him, and that was something Zuko could definitely get behind.
"Think we'll be like that in ten years?" Toph asked, bringing his attention back.
"Maybe," he allowed. "If you ever loosen up all the way again around me."
Toph frowned a little. "Sorry. It's -"
"Automatic habit, yeah," he finished for her. "Suyis and Azula explained it, kind of." Kind of, but not really. Enough he understood the gist of what they were saying. "But it's going away, a little at a time. You don't have to hide from me, Toph."
"I know. Logically, I know. My heart knows. My head is another story."
"Well, your head is beautiful and intelligent, so it needs to stay but it can stand to shush in that regard."
An amused sound. "You're adorable."
"Says the one in red and fur. Fuuur, Toph, fuuuur, you're the most adorable little -"
"I don't do adorable, Sparks. Sorry."
"Sparks? That's kind of new."
"I also decided I like Fireball."
"Fireball?"
"You have a bit of a temper. Fireball. It makes sense to me."
"My temper," Zuko started, attempting to sound offended, though it didn't work well, "is really not that bad."
"Not really." She smirked slightly. "Kind of cute, not that you were asking."
"Cute? What exactly about a temper is cute?"
"You can tolerate rather aggravating things, and yet explode at the smallest ones."
He considered that for a moment. "Yeah... I suppose that might be a bit odd, at the very least."
"I think it's cute. And it's probably a good thing I don't find it aggravating."
He gave a short laugh. "Yeah, probably." It wouldn't be too awesome if he annoyed her in any substantial capacity. They could get over the little things easily enough though. The little things, well, for all that they were normal, they weren't really that big of a deal. Sort of what made them little things, yes?
"You know, if you're serious, I'll be Fire Lady someday," Toph mentioned. She toned it off-handed, but, he knew better by now.
"Ah, yes," he answered. "And you'll be good one."
"I will suck at it," she deadpanned. "Honestly, slaves don't make good Fire Ladies."
"I think, if there's anyone that would make a good Fire Lady, it'd be a slave. Someone that knows the pain the war left behind better than I ever could."
"You could if you tried. Maybe, sometime, you could go wander around your nation. See it yourself."
He considered that for a moment. "You're strangely hands on, you know that?"
"Well, you can't figure out of the sunlight is warm or not if you never let it shine on you. Or something."
A quiet snort came from him. "Interesting way of seeing things."
"You tend to get a bit creative when you can't actually see." Something like that, yes.
"I can see why you might. Me, well... I think I get a bit distracted by actually seeing."
The sound she made almost sounded amused. "Yeah. I think a lot of people do. It's a human condition." Rather yucky one, but that was neither here nor there yes? Something like that. "Do you know why I like dancing with you?"
"Hm?" Random question, he thought, but the answer might be interesting all the same.
"You slow down. Your heartbeat evens out, your breathing goes lazy. It's kind of calming."
"My being completely not mentally here is calming?"
She laughed a bit. "Sort of. You're here, you're just... calm yourself. Nothing else really seems to matter."
"Well, it doesn't," he shrugged. "It's just you and me and a very nice stone floor."
Heh. A smile crossed her features. "I like that idea. It is a very nice stone floor."
Ha. "It was one of the first things mom redid after my grandfather died."
"I believe it." The ballroom, after all, was a very public place.
"I can get used to this."
"You know," Toph started, "as weird as it is, I think I can too." Still a bit strange, it was, being happy for once. Toph was used to not being anything near it. But she'd decided, somewhere in there, it was a good feeling, one she didn't want to let go of.
"IROH!" That would be a very happy Ozai, sprinting across the ballroom to go attach to his brother. Ursa looked a bit put-upon, but, well, it wasn't as though Iroh came to the palace very often. He tended to remain in his tea-shop.
"I was dancing with that," Ursa tartly informed Iroh.
He, of course, chuckled. "Do forgive my intrusion, lovely, good to see you," and he reached around Ozai and hugged Ursa. She smiled warmly, and hugged him back. "It's not every day one is graced with my rather confusing presence." Iroh turned to Ozai, arching a brow. "Your stress line is particularly clear today, brother."
Ozai frowned. "It is not."
"It is too. I could mold a glass stirring stick in it." Iroh arched an eyebrow. "Come on, what's going on?"
Ursa nudged Ozai in the side. He glanced at her, and then sighed, deflating slightly. "We'll have to go that way," Ozai said, leading the way through the crowd to stand beside Zuko and Toph. Both stopped. Zuko smiled.
"Hey, uncle," he greeted, hugging Iroh, too.
Uncle. Right, this was his uncle... General Iroh? Probably, Toph thought.
"Good to see you less depressed, nephew," Iroh replied. "And who's this lovely young lady?"
"Ah, this is Toph," Zuko answered.
"Oh?" Both of Iroh's eyebrows arched upward. "The young vixen you were so smitten with?"
"Yeah." A sheepish head duck.
"Well, at least you've found her, hm?"
"Mai doesn't like it," Zuko deadpanned.
"Hmm, Mai... the easily bored one that ruined my floor with her throwing knives?"
"That's the one."
"Sad for her, then. Is she causing problems?"
"Some," Ursa mentioned. "But she's been intelligent enough to keep her distance." Her gaze flicked to the girl in question. Mai's hand, presently around a glass of cider, seemed near about to break the glass.
Iroh followed her gaze, and then shook his head, looking back to Zuko. "The supreme excellence in war, Zuko, is subduing the enemy without fighting."
"Pretend inferiority," Toph added, "that the enemy might grow arrogant."
"Oho! Someone knows her books. If you are far from the enemy, make him think you're near."
"Opportunities multiply as they are seized," Toph answered. "But I can't read. My father taught me these. He spoke often of them. All war is deception."
"Indeed," Iroh chuckled. Zuko kept looking between them, near cross-eyed in confusion. Ozai had a similar expression, but Ursa seemed to get it. "Well dear nephew," Iroh continued, patting Zuko's cheek, "you keep this one. I like her."
"I'll... certainly try, uncle," Zuko answered, a bit unsure of his words.
"Is this why your stress line seems to be ready to become a skin canyon?" Iroh asked, turning to Ozai.
"She's not nobility, Iroh," he answered, sounding somewhat tense. "And I only have a vague idea of what I'm going to do."
"About them marrying? You tell the council to shove it where Sozin's Comet doesn't shine, and if they don't like it, they know where the door is," Iroh stated.
"What if they challenge me?"
"Oh jeez. Are you, or are you not, the Fire Lord, hm?"
Ozai just huffed.
"Mhm," Iroh hummed. "You act like you're new to this. You've beaten their tails before, you can do it again." A shrug.
"Well I'm glad someone has faith in me."
Iroh gave him a hard look. "I get the feeling we ought to talk. Come along brother, I have a sudden craving for cider."
"No tea?" Ozai jokingly asked.
"I think I'll not impose this time," Iroh answered.
Ursa huffed. "I... suppose I'll... find something to do," she mumbled.
"You can stay if you want mom," Zuko insisted. Toph nodded her agreement.
Ursa answered with a smile. "You two are sweet," she said, kissing the both on the temple. "But I'm sure I can busy myself with something while those two talk."
"He shouldn't abandon a pretty lady," Zuko grumbled.
"Your father has a lot on his mind," Ursa gently reminded. "He's still not sure how to best attack the slave trade, and outright making slavery illegal could end in a revolt. There are a lot more in the Fire Nation that own them than we first thought." She paused, thinking. "Until Toph is fully freed, you two will be the scandal of the era."
Unconsciously, Zuko's hand tightened around Toph's. "I'm not giving up," he said, almost defensive.
"I know," Ursa replied. "And neither is your father. But we can't afford a revolt so soon after the war. We're already nearly burnt out helping the Southern Water Tribe rebuild and expand. It's a delicate thing, Zuko. You'll understand someday." Ursa gave him a final pat on the cheek, before wandering back through the ballroom, probably to chat up some noblewoman or another. Most of them liked the Fire Lady, as she was calm and very polite. Scarily polite.
"M'sorry I caused so much trouble, Zuko," Toph said.
He shook his head. "No, it wasn't you. It's that damned war my great grandfather started." His gaze flicked to the side, watching the Avatar, present again, entertain the guests with Airbending tricks. "All over a silly kid," he said, gesturing at him.
"The Avatar," Toph corrected. "Who is relatively threatening, you know."
"Relatively." He agreed. Yeah, he was that. "It's just kind of hard to see how anyone could be so terrified of him like Sozin was, when you see him like that."
"Be wary not of the panther sleeping in the trees, but of the snake slithering through the grass," Toph said.
"Another one of those quotes?"
Aha. "No," she said, shaking her head. "That one I made up."
Hmm. "I kind of like that one."
"There's another. Those who watch their backs meet death from the front. You'll have to read those books we were quoting someday." Those were lost on him, he apparently hadn't read them.
"Suppose I will."
"Promise? I haven't read them in over a decade, I'd like to hear them again."
Ah... she was giving him an excuse. "Whatever my Toph wants."
"Pff, you're a bit backwards. You're my Zuko, not the other way around."
"I think I can live with that." Strangely, he honestly probably could.
"Nope, close your eyes," Ozai said. Ursa gave him a very confused look.
"I'm supposed to open it, silly," which, she had a point, she was. And she reached for it, but he stepped back and raised the little box above his head. She jumped for it a few times, but he was a good bit taller than her. "You're completely cheating at the moment," she hissed at him.
"Yes," he mused, "I am. I enjoy cheating. Now, turn around and close your eyes, or this box is never getting opened."
"You... fine." She turned around, crossing her arms and closing her eyes like he said.
"Heh, you're pouting," Ozai snickered, getting the little thing out of the box.
"I am not." Okay, she was, but she wouldn't admit that. It meant he won, sort of. He didn't say anything, just chuckled quietly, moving her hair out of the way to get a necklace around her neck.
"Okay," he said, "now you can look."
One eye peeked open, and she looked down. Diamond, of course. A marquis cut diamond pendant, set in gold. The metal made a little V shape around and under it, mimicking a flower petal's shape. And she forgot, rather immediately, that she was irritated with him.
"All flowers need petals, right?" He asked, taking her hand and kissing it.
"Mmm, sometimes, I wonder how the heck I find you so charming. And then you remind me when I least expect it."
An airy laugh escaped him. "I have to keep you on your toes."
"Oh? Who said that? Tell me so I can yell at them. They've doomed me to an eternal headache."
"Hmmm, hard to imagine an Ursy that yells."
"Suppose you're right." Ursa didn't yell, of course. Never that. A loud squeal of happiness sounded from across the room. Ah, Azula, apparently. Suyis seemed to have given her a ring, because she kept holding her hand out and admiring something, before squealing again and tackling him.
"I still have no idea how to take that one, either," Ozai intoned.
"They're happy, Ozai."
"Yes. And the Fire Lord in me is pleased my daughter is finally interested in a relatively suitable male. The father in me, however, is gravely concerned."
Ursa smiled, kissing his cheek. "And that's probably the way it should be, with a creature like him." She paused, thinking. "Though, if I may, he seems much more stable than the stories paint him to be."
Ozai grunted. "Stories, pff. Probably, half of the 'out of control Firebending' he did during the war was partly to trick his commander into thinking he was following orders when he wasn't."
Ursa tilted her head. "How would uncontrolled Firebending accomplish that?"
"Mm, think of it this way. If you snap and go crazy, no one will think twice about you hindering your comrades the same as you hinder your enemy. In a way, I think part of his psychosis was feigned: he pretended to be mentally and emotionally unstable merely to ensure that he could double-cross my father without dealing with the consequences. He's lucky he's a very powerful, and skilled, Firebender, else my father would have done away with him a long time ago, merely due to the sheer number of injuries and accidents reported as caused by him. There's no real telling how many of those were actually his fault. When he left the Fire Nation military toward the end, the entire army felt it better that they let him go than pursued him for desertion."
Hm. Ursa considered the idea, for a bit. "I suppose, it might be a good tactic. A dangerous one, certainly it'd require a bit of planning and strategy to manage to cause so much damage to your own unit without being executed or banished."
"The first part was gaining my father's, and the military's, respect. If he proved himself more an asset than a liability, they'd keep him alright."
"He's very intelligent."
"Scarily. And that's part of why I don't trust him." Probably, it always would be. Ozai didn't see that changing very soon. Hm. He nodded at something out on the ballroom floor. "Look."
Ursa turned, just in time to see Zuko sheepishly handing Toph a box. He'd already gotten his present, apparently. Across the way, Mai seemed irritated. Suyis and Azula wouldn't wander too far from Zuko and Toph, cutting her off at the knees, in a way.
And Toph pulled the box open, carefully, listening to the necklace rattle around in it. She soon reached her hand in, and extracted a very pretty heart-shaped necklace, gold in color, with a single ruby teardrop dangling on the inside. She, too, smiled, and made a very happy squeal noise, though a bit subdued in comparison to Azula's, and hugged him. He detached her, positively glowing, and helped her get it on.
"I think the Fire Nation will be just fine in their hands," Ursa said.
And, perhaps not surprisingly, Ozai nodded. "I think it will be, too," he agreed. "Though I still dread fighting with the council over their union."
"It'll be alright," she said. "I'm sure your brother will back your decision and stand by you."
"Mm, the Fire Nation, for the longest time, has not been about whether your decision is the right one, but rather you can beat the crap out of the opposition."
Ursa snorted. "Barbaric, if I may."
"I agree. But they're so used to the way things were under my father's rule, I doubt they'll change anytime soon." Perhaps some weeding out of the council members was in order.
"I'm sure you'll figure it out anyway," Ursa insisted, laying her head on his shoulder. "You always do. And I'll help any way I can, you know that."
"Mm, yes. You, dear, are one resource I have no idea where I'd be without. And one good thing my father taught me hm? How to use my resources."
An amused sound, from Ursa. "Yes, it is a useful thing to know."
"Bah, we're supposed to be celebrating!" And with that, the next happy squeal was from Ursa, who Ozai had picked up and decided to twirl around.
"So what'd he get you?" Ty Lee was practically bouncing up and down on Toph's bed. Azula decided maybe the chair was a better idea, and stood to go sit over there.
Toph shook her head, getting herself out of her dress so she could go to bed already. It was late, probably insanely early in the morning by now, and naturally, Ty Lee was wide awake and Azula was no better. Not to imply Toph was. Actually, she wasn't sure if she'd get to sleep for another few hours, at the very least. Once she'd gotten loose of the death trap of red and fur, she got her necklace off, and handed it to Ty Lee.
Rather immediately, Ty squealed in happiness. "It's gorgeous! Look Azula!" She held it out for Azula to see, who leaned over in the chair to get a better look at it.
"Looks like Fire Nation colony handiwork. They're good with metallurgy, because of the combination of fire and earth. No surprise they make beautiful jewelry and very good weapons and armor."
"Think maybe Sokka might get me something so pretty someday?"
Azula snorted. "Already thinking ahead of yourself. You've not known him very long, you know."
"No," Ty started, "but I can tell. We'll make a good couple. And really cute babies."
"Ugh, babies," Azula spat. "They're grating."
"Babies are not grating, Azula," Ty Lee frowned.
"You sound like my mother." No, she really did.
Toph just huffed, taking her necklace back. "Whatever makes you happy, Ty," she said, gracelessly collapsing onto her bed. "I still have a hard time comprehending the whole the Fire Nation Prince loves me."
"See," Ty Lee mused, "I told you it'd work out, didn't I?"
"You're just insufferable," Toph retorted.
"Oo, hey," Ty Lee turned to Azula, ignoring the jab, "did Suyis get you anything?"
Azula shrugged, smirking slightly, and then held her hand out. On one of her fingers was a diamond-cut ruby ring, the band in gold, stone flanked with small diamonds on either side.
"Oh my goodness, that's gorgeous too!" Ty Lee instantly squealed. Azula snickered a bit, and then moved over to Toph, so she could run her finger over it and 'see' it.
"Wow, neat design," Toph added. "I kind of hate being blind sometimes." Hard to get across what exactly things looked like, but from just feeling it, she got the general idea. She had a feeling some of the 'gorgeous' that the ring supposedly was had something to do with being able to see it.
"It's comfortable, too. Fits perfectly," Azula said, admiring it herself. "He's apparently very good at figuring out ring sizes and buying jewelry for girls."
"Well," Ty Lee started, "have you seen him, he's beautiful. I bet he's had girls fawning over him since puberty."
Azula snorted. "I try not to consider the possibility."
Ty Lee and Toph both smiled knowingly. Yeah, Azula was relatively easy to make jealous, too.
"So," Azula started, apparently intending to change the subject, "has Zuzu proposed yet?"
Toph shook her head. "No. It's okay though, I think he should probably wait until your dad figures out what to do about my technically being a half-person first."
Azula snorted again. "Dad would fight the council on it if he really had to. Honestly, if he presented the match properly, the common people would be thrilled and overjoyed. Plus, he could also make special mention about the old colonies, how the Earth Kingdom citizens married Fire Nation ones and so forth."
"But I'm a slave, Azula," Toph deadpanned. "Why do I have to keep reminding people that I'm really no one special?"
"But," Azula said, "You could be, if father made you out to be. Never mind that you're of age in the Earth Kingdom right? You could reclaim your family estate and be a noblewoman of the Earth Kingdom and there goes that."
"Was that what the plan was?" Ty Lee asked.
Azula shrugged. "Mother mentioned it, and Zuko thought it'd be an idea to follow, if we really get desperate. The Fire Nation could easily help her reclaim her place as a Beifong in the Earth Kingdom, and then we could easily tell the nations and the council that such a match is intended as a gesture of good-will and peace. They don't necessarily need to know that they've fallen in love with each other for their own reasons in aaah... very unusual circumstance."
"That's none of anyone's business anyway," Ty Lee snorted.
"Exactly," Azula agreed. "I wouldn't concern yourself too much, Toph. Father might grumble about it and shuffle his feet, but, if he has to, he will defend his son's choice."
Mm. Toph curled her feet up underneath her. "I still think this is kind of troublesome, considering I'm, again, no one special."
"But you kind of are, in a way," Azula mentioned. "You're the first girl Zuzu's ever spent extended periods of time around that hasn't managed to make him cringe, or declare that girls are crazy. I think that makes you quite special indeed."
Toph just shook her head. "You two are strange. Now get out of my room so I can sleep, no one wants to see me in the morning on under eight hours of sleep," she declared, making a shooing motion at the both.
Ty Lee giggled, but she stood up and pranced for the door. "Night Toph!"
"Good night."
"I'll be up with mom in the morning too," Azula said. "Mother wants to take you and I dress shopping."
"Oh goody," Toph replied. Thrilled, couldn't you tell?
The stretch of hallway between them and Zuko's room was sufficiently long enough to have a little discussion first. Ozai thought it was probably pretty prudent to include Zuko and Toph in most of the arrangements: Toph, being a slave herself, would probably have knowledge of the slave trade's workings that most wouldn't, whereas Zuko... well, he had his own reasons for wanting to know what was going on. Ozai thought it might be a good learning experience for him, as well, considering he'd be leading the Fire Nation someday. Hopefully in the relatively far future: he still had a bit of calming down and maturing to do.
"So, you're not making much progress?" Zuko asked.
Ozai shook his head. "Not really. The entire ordeal is tricky, and I'd like to prevent a rebellion if I can help it."
"Why would you have to deal with rebellion?"
"Well, to start, there are many more in the Fire Nation than I expected that have slaves."
Zuko nodded. "Mother mentioned that. If you made it illegal, they might react badly."
"Very badly. Secondly, the only nation's borders within which slave trade is legal and unregulated is the Earth Kingdom. By proxy of feeling it necessary to bottleneck and eventually destroy the slave trade, we'd have to target the nation it flourishes the most in. The Earth Kingdom is proud and stubborn, and may not take the interference very well, regardless of our intentions and whether the situation really is that bad or not."
Zuko considered what his father said, keeping pace with him. "So, we have to find a way of doing this without upsetting either the Fire Nation's noble caste, or the Earth Kingdom's people."
"Right," Ozai nodded. "If the Earth Kingdom reacted terribly to the meddling, and considering what I have heard of their present Earth King, he may very well merely out of an inferiority complex of some kind, well... we cannot afford the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom going head to head right now. Furthermore, inciting a rebellion on our end would effectively pit the Fire Nation against itself, and an outside force, at the same time."
Zuko groaned. "That sounds..."
"Terribly messy. Our best bet may be to let it alone and do what we can to restrict it within our own borders until the trouble in Ba Sing Se has settled."
If Zuko's memory served, his father was probably referring to the minor revolt over the state of the Lower Ring. No one had been particularly happy in the Lower Ring beforehand, and it merely got even worse as the Earth King's attention was brought to matters outside the capital. Though he'd been taught to lead since a young age, he had very little hands-on experience, and had never been in, nor even seen, a battle up close before. The entire thing was a mess on their side of the spectrum, and corruption had run terribly thick within the capital, potentially for several decades.
"At the rate things are going," Ozai continued, "the Earth Kingdom may have a new King within the next few years."
"You think so?"
"Certainly. The Earth Kingdom has suffered in ways the present Earth King could never really understand. He's hardly been outside the palace, in all his years, and has no idea the hardships and trials his people face on a day to day basis. It wouldn't be too far-fetched to say his own people might well overthrow his regime and install a new Earth King, someone of more common blood that knows the horrors the war has wrought upon their kingdom and the many other things the Kingdom's people face. Should such a thing happen, any negotiating and compromising with the current Earth King would go right out the proverbial window the moment the new King is set upon the throne."
"Ah," Zuko nodded, understanding. "It'd be easier then, if we just let them sort their own problems out before we went to attempting to tear at their slavery issues."
"Yes. It seems they have quite a few bigger fish to fry still swimming about in their pond."
Zuko laughed a little. "Interesting allusion."
"Ah, I suppose it was the tiniest bit clever." They paused, as they reached Zuko's room. "Well then," Ozai continued, "as Fire Lord I have the power to free just this one slave without causing a mass revolt. It'll take some rhetorical care, and perhaps some record planting, by the way, record planting is very tricksy an art, try not to do it if you can avoid it, but always go through the Fire Sages to do it, not your officials," Ozai advised. "I'll see what I can do, but this may take some time, Zuko."
The Prince nodded. "I understand. I also understand you've got little trouble putting on the angry turtle-duck pants and enforcing your will through less patient means," he added, smirking lightly.
"Oh jeez," Ozai grumbled. "Don't lead that way, it gets messy. But after my father I - well anyway, off to bed with you. Oh, and your mother and sister are stealing your girlfriend in the morning, they won't be back until afternoon."
Zuko arched an eyebrow. "For what?"
"Dress shopping," Ozai answered, a very clear disgruntled note in his tone. "I'm going to go broke in a few hours flat. Word to the wise, never give a woman a large sum of money and walk away from her." He cursed under his breath and stalked down the hall.
Zuko, apparently, found that advice particularly funny, and found himself laughing under his breath. "Good night dad," he called, still laughing, and going into his room.
"Good night, Zuko. ... and stop laughing at me. You'll understand that one someday too, Dragon Spirits willing, before your nation goes bankrupt."
Well, yes. He was sure he would.
Notes: Well, that took forever, sorry. I'd intended to have it done and released yesterday, but, unfortunately, my father's cousin (thus my cousin once removed) passed away, and we had to go to the Wake, annnd I spent a good chunk of yesterday morning dealing with school enrollment. I should have gotten that done last month.
The more Ursa and Ozai interact in this, the more my heart melts. I… just… on the one hand, comprehending this is a very awkward and difficult venture. On the other, I just can't… contain the squeeing! On a similar but different note, every time I check my grammar in Microsoft Word, my faith in Microsoft falls down several notches. It always marks things that are right as wrong.
If you guyssss are curious, or interested in any way, Xia is summer, Qiu is fall, Dong is winter, Chun is spring, in Mandarin Chinese. Remember that in Mandarin Chinese, X is pronounced as 'sh', Q is pronounced as 'ch'. Zh, often, is a strange 'j' sort of sound, my Chinese friend and I refer to it as the Chinese z. Lol It's kind of complicated to get across in writing, but it's sort of a combination of a j and a z. Ah, mandarintools dot com has a Chinese/English dictionary, and you can look up the word 'zhi' and hear it, if you're interested. I.E. Xing, meaning star, is said as shing, and Qiu, fall, is said as chieu. Zhi means extreme, so Xiazhi literally translate's to "summer's extreme," or more proverbially, summer solstice. Li means start, so Liqiu is "start of autumn/fall." Fen translates as equinox, so Qiufen is literally autumn equinox.
These are the actual terms used for these holidays, or as close as I could get to the right date, in East Asia. For instance, Lichun, start of spring, takes place on February 4-5, whereas the aligning holiday, Imbolc, is on February 1. So it's slightly off on some of them, but close enough. I believe even their solstices and equinoxes are slightly off in some cases. All throughout the Chinese year, there are: Lichun, Yushui, Jingzhe, Chunfen, Qingming, Guyu, Lixia, Xiaoman, Mangzhong, Xiazhi, Xiaoshu, Dashu, Liqiu, Chushu, Bailu, Qiufen, Hanlu, Shuangjiang, Lidong, Xiaoxue, Daxue, Dongzhi, Xiaohan, and Dahan. So I did end up skipping a good majority of them for the fic. I'm not actually entirely working off the Chinese solar calendar to begin with, but rather the Celtic solar festivals, or the Pagan Wheel of the Year. I thought that might be a bit interesting to explain. I actually "translated" these several years ago, in 2010, and found the list sometime before beginning the current Monochrome, and had long forgotten where I'd gotten the names, I thought I'd amateurly translated them, but apparently they are actual East Asian solar terms. If you're curious, the Chinese New Year takes place around Lichun, which will be next chapter.
In other news, I adjusted the outlines for this so hopefully it won't be as much of a pain in the butt to write. I think you'll all enjoy the end of it. We're getting close, only three more chapters to go.
This one was Dongzhi, the winter solstice. On the Wheel of the Year, it's known as Yule, and probably the most well-known aspect of Yule is the Yule log. Any family that chooses to may place their Yule log in the group fire. The Yule log is selected and the family member places upon it a wish for the New Year and the next planting season. The log is burned to carry the prayers to the spirits or ancestors. Ancestor worship is a huge thing in China, I think it... even still is.
Gifts and well-wishes are exchanged, and not long after it is Christmas, for those that celebrate it. It takes place on December 20, 21 or 22.
You're probably wondering: Sun Tzu's The Art of War. The quotes Toph and Iroh were swapping. If Suyis was present for the quote swapping, he probably could have recited the entire thing by heart. That's his personal holy book. Lol It was written around the second century B.C., and remained a very renowned and respected military treatise in East Asia for centuries. It was well known enough, even the common people recognized it by name. It was first translated, into French, in 1772.
Ah, right, Samhain is actually said as "sow-ehn," not sam-hayn. Hahahaha. Forgot to mention that at the end of Lidong. Well I had other things on my mind.